Jakabffy Imre szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 13. (Budapest, 1971)
HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM - MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - Horváth, Tibor: Report on the Activities of the Hopp Museum of Eastern Asiatic Arts in 1969 and 1970
Fig. 2. Egypt. Tripartite, copper food-box The elliptical box consists of two deep food-containers and of a cover. Size and form of the two containers are nearly identical. Their bottoms are fiat, their sides are vertical, the decoration is engraved. The broad central zones are bordered by narrow bands. The eight large rings formed by ihe interlacements of ihe bands are decorated with diamond-shaped patterns. The space among die eight rings is filled with inscription bands in Mamluk-type Naskhi script and with geometric patterns alternately. Between the rings formed by the narrow bands bordering ihe main zone we find vertical plaited ribbon hands and in the small circles spoked wheel patterns. The adornment of the cover' is similar but here the bands are somewhat narrower than those on the containers. The decorative motifs are identical and the four fields of inscription arc similar too. On the sides of the cover we find plaited ribbon bands with lozenges. The recommandatory inscriptions in Mamluk Naskhi are nearly identical in each field. Apart from these large inscriptions, a smaller engraved inscription in cursive Naskhi appears three times: on the bottoms of the containers and on the side of the cover, with an identical text mentioning Muhammed Ihn al-hajj Ibrahim al-Kain. The whole food-box is well preserved with only the bottom and the side of the cover showing some cracks. The entire surface of the box is tinned. Length: 38.3 cm, width: 22.8 cm on each section. The heights are: 11, 12.4 and G.7 cm. Inv. No.: 69.8.1-3. Similar food-boxes can be seen in the catalogue of the Arab .Museum in Cairo (G. Wiet. Catalogue du Musée Arabe. Le Caire, 1932, Pis. LXVI — LXXL). the boxes reproduced on plates LXVI and LXIX being closest to our piece. These are dated to the early 16th century. Accordingly, the treated box may also be dated to the first quarter of the 16th century. It must be mentioned that multiple food-boxes of similar form were in use in Syria and Iraq too. Such a copper food-box was shown in the Exhibition of Iraqian Art held at Budapest in 1968.
